Man bites dog (1992)

On the shelf of disturbing movies, Man bites dog will earn a place without even breaking a sweat. While "A Clockwork Orange" is stylized violence, this is your everyday garden variety of butchery.

Filmed in a black and white documentary style, the camera crew follow Ben - part serial-killer, part hitman, part petty thief - as he indulges in a variety of violent acts. Unlike most documentaries, however, the crew starts off as bystanders to Ben's "work" but go on to become participants leading to a twisted destructive symbiotic relationship.

Ben is a killer - He kills for paid assignments, kills as a part of robbery, and sometimes even out of sheer annoyance  Aside from his day job, it is simply one of his techniques of problem resolution. He does not enjoy the pain inflicted but rather has a preternatural level amorality and lack of empathy.

In one of the scenes he shoots an obnoxiously loud acquaintance in the head without warning or fuss and resumes eating dinner. It is dark humor at its best; The camera timing on this particular shot is outstanding - panning between a man lying with a head shot, and the shooter consuming his meal with quick fork movements at the dinner table.

Gangly and awkward at times, Ben is most easily identifiable as the lonely office worker with the uniquely European sense of (misplaced mostly) self-worth resulting in a pseudo-intellectual commentary on topics ranging from architecture to art to music. He goes about his work in a competent but non-flamboyant manner, much like an insurance auditor would. But you are acutely aware that if there was competition, he wouldn't be the best hit-man - just an average one. That he is not a meticulous serial killer is humorously evident when he finds that his body dumping ground is clearly visible from two hundred feet away with bones sticking out in every direction.

Ben's only acknowledgement of society seems to be the egotistical need to ensure that the film is completed. Initially awkward in front of the camera and it's "artistic" crew, he quickly enjoys the attention. The crew perceive this weaknesses and proceed to exploit it in the opportunistic manner only the continental artsy type knows how; Even goading him on to go beyond his usual modus operandi to rob a suburban home - only to find that rich suburbans only keep credit cards at home and no cash.

The film works hard at at many levels to ensure that the viewer cannot distance himself from the movie. The documentary style is only one aspect of this. Discerning viewers cannot categorize Ben with any mental illness because unlike clinical conditions that describe lack of empathy, Ben does maintain semi-functional family relationships and friendships; He also has both appreciation and moderate skills for music and sport - Piano and Boxing. Conversely, there is no opportunity to develop any sympathy for Ben either as he mercilessly smothers a ten year old boy.

And that is the brilliance of the film - Adroitly manipulating the viewer's mind and shaking away any predilection to slot away Ben as an aberration. Forcing the viewer to accept Ben's existence as fact; accept society's helplessness at ever reforming or redeeming Ben; accept that for a turn of chance, they might be the next random victims of Ben.

Multiple side-plots efficiently explored give a depth to the narrative that goes beyond the 95 minutes of running time. The most interesting side-plot is his relationship with the crew. The crew, through their meanness and pettiness, create a temporary sense of sympathy for Ben. It is easier to relate to the lone misfit who is cruelly unaware that he is being mocked than to the snobbish crew with their disheveled artsy attire and unwashed hippy hair. Their own baseness is evident when they are willing partners in a bout of rape facilitated by Ben and his ever present gun. While Ben is the skilled panther fending for himself, they are the hyenas of society feeding off the scraps. The situational and temporary power shifts are blindingly realistic.

Eventually though, there is no conceptualization of redemption for a man like Ben. Even when his girlfriend and mother are brutally killed - his remorse comes from a selfish loss of relationship, not love. Revenge for such an act is simply a matter of professional courtesy for Ben and personal grief is only incidental.

Benoît Poelvoorde is outstanding as Ben - from every drunken facial tic to the professional manner of hunting down his victims. Benoit masterfully represents Ben as a human with all the petty pride and insecurities that go with it even while indulging in demonically violent acts.

A disturbingly brilliant movie - with each scene worthy of expostulation - punctuated regularly with points of high black humor, Man bites dog is an enduring cult classic.